Sometimes, what matters is simple

In an era where meaningful differentiation is hard to come by, it’s all about the power of the brand, what it stands for and the relevant stories that can be told around it.

Differentiation sure is difficult these days. Especially challenging is differentiation that’s so strikingly relevant, unique and compelling that consumers will pay more for it.

I was at the IIT Institute of Design Strategy Conference in Chicago last month, at which Kun-Pyo Lee, head of LG Electronics’ Corporate Design Center, showed an image, similar to the one below, in the midst of a talk on the industrial design challenges that his firm faces:

The illustration clearly highlights this issue. In a world where form factors have converged so dramatically, the opportunities for a global consumer electronics giant (or virtually any other product company) to define itself through its product design have become more elusive and challenging.

To read the full article by Howard Belk, originally posted by ClickZ, click here.